8 Big Things to Watch for on Defense During Packers Training Camp

Training camp opens for the Green Bay Packers in just a few days on Wednesday, July 27th.

As part of my preview, I took a look at the 11 Big Things to Watch for on the offensive side of the ball. Now we transition to the defensive side, with my 8 Big Things to Watch for in the coming weeks.

Playing time along the Green Bay Packers defensive front

“Get Kenny Clark some help!”

A mantra repeatedly used by many Green Bay Packers fans over the years. Ultimatley, we still have to see how this group performs on the field; on paper, this is easily the deepest interior defensive line group that the Packers have had in years.

So with that, what will the playing time breakdown look like? Green Bay legitimately has five players worthy of steady playing time.

Kenny Clark will, of course, see the bulk of the snaps, but the added depth does afford him some snaps off, which isn’t a bad thing given how heavily he’s been utilized over the years. Jarran Reed is someone who can affect both the run and the pass, while Green Bay hopes that Wyatt can be that player too. Wyatt was one of the best run-stuffers in college football last season, finishing sixth overall in PFF’s run stop win rate, but with that athleticism, there is certainly an ability to rush the passer as well.

TJ Slaton saw playing time with the starting defense during OTAs and minicamp, and could very well see his role expand on early downs or obvious running situations. Dean Lowry is coming off a career year as a pass rusher with 42 quarterback pressures and is someone who could be used on early downs, taking on double teams, occupying space, and doing the dirty work upfront.

Throughout the course of the season, playing time for each player — minus Clark — could vary week to week depending on the opponent and what the offense is doing. However, throughout the summer, it will be interesting to see who is taking snaps, the situation on the field, and how often.

Who Emerges at Edge rusher behind Smith and Gary?

The only certain thing at the edge rusher position for the Green Bay Packers right now is that Rashan Gary and Preston Smith will be their primary pass rushers. After that, everything is very much up for grabs.

Typically the Packers have kept five edge rushers on the roster under Matt LaFleur, which means three roster spots are available. And of those three roster spots, two will see a decent amount of playing time, as OLB Coach Jason Rebrovich mentioned that he wants a consistent four-man rotation.

Smith and Gary were two of the more productive edge rushers in football last season, both finishing in the top 10 in pressures. However, this is a heavily rotated position, with each of them playing about 68% of the defensive snaps.

Simple math then tells us that about one-third of the Packers’ defensive snaps occurred without one or both of them on the field and when this happened, there was a steep dropoff in play–against both the run and the pass. This is a big reason why Green Bay went out and signed Whitney Mercius last season.

While wide receiver has garnered much of the attention this offseason, the lack of edge rusher depth is a major concern for this Packers team. Getting after the quarterback is the name of the game, and there are some question marks surrounding the depth of this unit–overall, it is a very inexperienced group behind Smith and Gary.

Competing for this playing time will be Randy Ramsey, Jonathan Garvin, Tipa Galeai, Kobe Jones, Chauncey Manac, Kingsley Enagbare, and La’Darius Hamilton.